An (old) new shotgun?

[tmartin]

I purchased from a local gunshop a Remington 870 Wingmaster "never fired." It was a consignment gun. When I got it home and examined the original box, it looks like the gun was manufactured in 1979. The serial # starts with "V" - I searched around and found a site listing serial# and corresponding year of manufacture, and "V" equates to 1979.

I'm not a "gun person" so I'm counting on your advice with a few questions. First, did the build 'em better in '79 vs. now? Second, since the gun is almost 30 y/old and never fired, is there anything special I should do before I shoot the first time? Anything else I should be aware of buying a "new" gun this old? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Congrats, you have a great shotgun.

Re old vs new, QC has sliipped a bit recently. 1979 was in the glory years.

I'd take it apart, clean out the receiver and relube. Nothing special needed.

Now go shoot it plenty....

 

[Fred Fuller]

Welcome to THR!

IMHO the older guns are better made, even Wingmasters. You did good bringing that one home.

If you want to double check your new/old 870's 'born on' date, give Remington a call at their toll free number during business hours. After a couple of branches on the phone tree you can give a staffer your serial number, and they will tell you when the gun was made. As far as I know there are no reliable published lists that supply this data for Remingtons. I'd rather count on the factory to tell me.

As Dave suggested, a good cleaning is the first order of business. Instructions for field stripping are in the owners manual- use them to take the gun down to the assembly level (no need to worry about detail stripping) and follow the instructions to clean and properly lubricate the gun. Then put it back together and BA/UU/R. Note: Sometimes it helps to have someone who knows the 870 on hand to help with the disassembly/reassembly the first time. A couple of things can be tricky till you get the hang of them.

Congratulations on the new addition, have fun with it and Stay Safe!

lpl/nc

 

[tmartin]

Thanks to all who responded. I'll give it a good cleaning/oil before heading off to the range. You can be sure it won't be another 27 yrs between use!